Literacy in India has been increasing as more and more people receive a better education, but it is still far from all-encompassing. In 2023, the degree of literacy in India was about 77 percent, with the majority of literate Indians being men. It is estimated that the global literacy rate for people aged 15 and above is about 86 percent. How to read a literacy rateIn order to identify potential for intellectual and educational progress, the literacy rate of a country covers the level of education and skills acquired by a country’s inhabitants. Literacy is an important indicator of a country’s economic progress and the standard of living – it shows how many people have access to education. However, the standards to measure literacy cannot be universally applied. Measures to identify and define illiterate and literate inhabitants vary from country to country: In some, illiteracy is equated with no schooling at all, for example. Writings on the wallGlobally speaking, more men are able to read and write than women, and this disparity is also reflected in the literacy rate in India – with scarcity of schools and education in rural areas being one factor, and poverty another. Especially in rural areas, women and girls are often not given proper access to formal education, and even if they are, many drop out. Today, India is already being surpassed in this area by other emerging economies, like Brazil, China, and even by most other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. To catch up, India now has to offer more educational programs to its rural population, not only on how to read and write, but also on traditional gender roles and rights.

As of 2021, India recorded a higher nationwide literacy rate among men than women, at respectively **** percent of male population and **** percent of female population. The gender literacy gap was more evident in rural India, with only ** percent of women aged between 15 and 49 years being literate, compared to over ** percent of their male counterparts in the region.

Literacy Rate: Uttar Pradesh data was reported at 67.700 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 56.270 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Uttar Pradesh data is updated decadal, averaging 32.650 % from Dec 1951 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 67.700 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 12.020 % in 12-01-1951. Literacy Rate: Uttar Pradesh data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

The statistic shows the degree of adult literacy in China from 1982 to 2020. In 2020, the literacy rate, which is defined as people aged 15 and above who can read and write, had reached about 97.15 percent in China.

Global literacy rates

By 2020, around 86.8 percent of the world population aged 15 years and above had been able to read and write. While in developed regions this figure ranged a lot higher, only around 67 percent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa was literate. Countries with the lowest literacy rates are also the most underdeveloped worldwide. According to UNESCO, literacy is a human right, especially in a fast-changing and technology-driven world. In China, the literacy rate has developed from 79 percent in 1982 to 97 percent in 2020, indicating that almost one million people per year had become literate over three decades. In India, the situation was entirely different. The second most populous country in the world displayed a literacy rate of merely 76 percent in 2022.

Literacy in China

The dramatic increase in literacy in China has a lot to do with the efficacy of numerous political, economic and educational policies. In 1982, compulsory education was written into the Chinese constitution, postulating a nine-year compulsory education funded by the government. As is shown by the graph above, there was a large gender gap in literacy rate in China as of 1982. Though this gap still existed in 2020, it was narrowed down to three percent, starting from 28 percent in 1982. Since 1990, the national education policy was directed at females, especially from poor and/or minority families. Over the past years, China has achieved gender parity in primary schooling.

However, regional literacy disparities in China should not to be overlooked. Regions with a strong economic background tend to display illiteracy rates below national average. In contrast, economically underdeveloped regions have a much larger share of people who cannot read nor write. Tibet for instance, a region where 92 percent of the population belong to an ethnic minority, showed the highest illiterate rate nationwide, with around 34 percent in 2022.

In 2022, the degree of literacy in India was about 97 percent among the youth between the ages of 15 to 24 years. An exponential increase in the literary rate was seen over the years from 1981 in the country.

Literacy Rate: Delhi data was reported at 86.200 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 81.670 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Delhi data is updated decadal, averaging 73.615 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 86.200 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 61.950 % in 12-01-1961. Literacy Rate: Delhi data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Literacy Rate: Kerala data was reported at 94.000 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 90.860 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Kerala data is updated decadal, averaging 78.850 % from Dec 1951 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 94.000 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 47.180 % in 12-01-1951. Literacy Rate: Kerala data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Literacy Rate: Tamil Nadu data was reported at 80.100 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 73.450 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Tamil Nadu data is updated decadal, averaging 58.525 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 80.100 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 36.390 % in 12-01-1961. Literacy Rate: Tamil Nadu data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

In 2020, the digital literacy rate in India was found to be higher among men as compared to women. The rate of searching and browsing the internet was ** percent among the male population as compared to ** percent among the female population.

As per the estimates for the year 2023, the literacy rate among women in India was ** percent. Meanwhile, the literacy rate among their male Indian counterparts reached approximately 85 percent in the same period. The adult literacy rate in the country stood at ** percent.

Literacy Rate: Gujarat data was reported at 78.000 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 69.140 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Gujarat data is updated decadal, averaging 44.920 % from Dec 1951 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 78.000 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 21.820 % in 12-01-1951. Literacy Rate: Gujarat data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Literacy Rate: Bihar data was reported at 61.800 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 47.000 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Bihar data is updated decadal, averaging 32.320 % from Dec 1951 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 61.800 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 13.490 % in 12-01-1951. Literacy Rate: Bihar data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Literacy Rate: Puducherry data was reported at 85.800 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 81.240 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Puducherry data is updated decadal, averaging 69.940 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 85.800 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 43.650 % in 12-01-1961. Literacy Rate: Puducherry data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Literacy Rate: Andaman and Nicobar Islands data was reported at 86.600 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 81.300 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Andaman and Nicobar Islands data is updated decadal, averaging 63.190 % from Dec 1951 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 86.600 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 30.300 % in 12-01-1951. Literacy Rate: Andaman and Nicobar Islands data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Literacy Rate: West Bengal data was reported at 76.300 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 68.640 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: West Bengal data is updated decadal, averaging 48.650 % from Dec 1951 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 76.300 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 24.610 % in 12-01-1951. Literacy Rate: West Bengal data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Literacy Rate: Arunachal Pradesh data was reported at 65.400 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 54.340 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Arunachal Pradesh data is updated decadal, averaging 33.570 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 65.400 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 7.130 % in 12-01-1961. Literacy Rate: Arunachal Pradesh data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Literacy Rate: Manipur data was reported at 76.900 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 70.530 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Manipur data is updated decadal, averaging 49.660 % from Dec 1951 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 76.900 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 12.570 % in 12-01-1951. Literacy Rate: Manipur data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Literacy Rate: Jharkhand data was reported at 66.400 % in 12-01-2011. This records an increase from the previous number of 53.560 % for 12-01-2001. Literacy Rate: Jharkhand data is updated decadal, averaging 35.030 % from Dec 1951 (Median) to 12-01-2011, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 66.400 % in 12-01-2011 and a record low of 12.930 % in 12-01-1951. Literacy Rate: Jharkhand data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Education Sector – Table IN.EDA001: Literacy Rate.

Abstract

The National Family Health Survey 2019-21 (NFHS-5), the fifth in the NFHS series, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India, each state/union territory (UT), and for 707 districts.

The primary objective of the 2019-21 round of National Family Health Surveys is to provide essential data on health and family welfare, as well as data on emerging issues in these areas, such as levels of fertility, infant and child mortality, maternal and child health, and other health and family welfare indicators by background characteristics at the national and state levels. Similar to NFHS-4, NFHS-5 also provides information on several emerging issues including perinatal mortality, high-risk sexual behaviour, safe injections, tuberculosis, noncommunicable diseases, and the use of emergency contraception.

The information collected through NFHS-5 is intended to assist policymakers and programme managers in setting benchmarks and examining progress over time in India’s health sector. Besides providing evidence on the effectiveness of ongoing programmes, NFHS-5 data will help to identify the need for new programmes in specific health areas.

The clinical, anthropometric, and biochemical (CAB) component of NFHS-5 is designed to provide vital estimates of the prevalence of malnutrition, anaemia, hypertension, high blood glucose levels, and waist and hip circumference, Vitamin D3, HbA1c, and malaria parasites through a series of biomarker tests and measurements.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual
• Children age 0-5
• Woman age 15-49
• Man age 15 to 54

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), all women aged 15-49, all men age 15-54, and all children aged 0-5 resident in the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

A uniform sample design, which is representative at the national, state/union territory, and district level, was adopted in each round of the survey. Each district is stratified into urban and rural areas. Each rural stratum is sub-stratified into smaller substrata which are created considering the village population and the percentage of the population belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (SC/ST). Within each explicit rural sampling stratum, a sample of villages was selected as Primary Sampling Units (PSUs); before the PSU selection, PSUs were sorted according to the literacy rate of women age 6+ years. Within each urban sampling stratum, a sample of Census Enumeration Blocks (CEBs) was selected as PSUs. Before the PSU selection, PSUs were sorted according to the percentage of SC/ST population. In the second stage of selection, a fixed number of 22 households per cluster was selected with an equal probability systematic selection from a newly created list of households in the selected PSUs. The list of households was created as a result of the mapping and household listing operation conducted in each selected PSU before the household selection in the second stage. In all, 30,456 Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) were selected across the country in NFHS-5 drawn from 707 districts as on March 31st 2017, of which fieldwork was completed in 30,198 PSUs.

For further details on sample design, see Section 1.2 of the final report.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

Four survey schedules/questionnaires: Household, Woman, Man, and Biomarker were canvassed in 18 local languages using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI).

Cleaning operations

Electronic data collected in the 2019-21 National Family Health Survey were received on a daily basis via the SyncCloud system at the International Institute for Population Sciences, where the data were stored on a password-protected computer. Secondary editing of the data, which required resolution of computer-identified inconsistencies and coding of open-ended questions, was conducted in the field by the Field Agencies and at the Field Agencies central office, and IIPS checked the secondary edits before the dataset was finalized.

Field-check tables were produced by IIPS and the Field Agencies on a regular basis to identify certain types of errors that might have occurred in eliciting information and recording question responses. Information from the field-check tables on the performance of each fieldwork team and individual investigator was promptly shared with the Field Agencies during the fieldwork so that the performance of the teams could be improved, if required.

Response rate

A total of 664,972 households were selected for the sample, of which 653,144 were occupied. Among the occupied households, 636,699 were successfully interviewed, for a response rate of 98 percent.

In the interviewed households, 747,176 eligible women age 15-49 were identified for individual women’s interviews. Interviews were completed with 724,115 women, for a response rate of 97 percent. In all, there were 111,179 eligible men age 15-54 in households selected for the state module. Interviews were completed with 101,839 men, for a response rate of 92 percent.

The statistic displays the literacy rate in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India between 1991 and 2011, broken down by gender. In 2001, close to 70 percent of the male population living in Uttar Pradesh knew how to read or write. India's literacy rate from 1981 through 2011 can be found here.